MetaCannes Film3 Festival: Where Innovation Meets Cinematic Excellence

Join us for the groundbreaking MetaCannes Film3 Festival, now in its 4th year, running from May 12–23, 2026. This cutting-edge on-chain, on-demand virtual film festival, held alongside the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, is revolutionizing cinema by seamlessly blending blockchain technology with the art of filmmaking. Live events are scheduled to take place in Cannes, with additional locations to be announced.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

MetaCannes Film3 Festival is the world's first on-chain, on-demand virtual film festival, and the first traditional festival in the world to curate AI cinema, pioneering the integration of blockchain technology with next-generation cinematic experiences. A collaboration between The Squad and Theta Network, the festival leverages studio-level digital rights management technology to showcase raw, experimental, and innovative international filmmaking.

Now in its fourth year, MetaCannes continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in film presentation and distribution. The festival has become a launchpad for emerging talent and a showcase for established filmmakers embracing new technologies. Alumni include Tom Berkeley and Ross White [BAFTA|OSCAR Winner “An Irish Goodbye”], Giulio Mastromauro [David di Donatello Award Winner “Timo’s Winter”], Miguel Faus [Calladita], and Julie Pacino [I Live Here Now]. The festival has also been at the forefront of AI cinema, with its MetaCannesNEXT program featuring pioneering works by Dave Clark, Kavan the Kid, Jeff Synthesized, Dustin Hollywood, Nem Perez and MetaPuppet.

MetaCannes also provides rich educational opportunities to filmmakers, students, and audiences through on-site workshops, panel discussions, and seminars. Past participants include Oscar-nominated Rachel Winters, BAFTA and Oscar-winning producer Phil McKenzie, and live streams from the Cannes Red Carpet with Oscar winner Juliette Binoche.

By combining cutting-edge blockchain technology with a commitment to diverse, forward-thinking storytelling, MetaCannes Film3 Festival is not just participating in the evolution of cinema – it is actively shaping its future. The festival offers a unique platform for filmmakers and audiences to engage with the next wave of cinematic art, fostering a community where creativity meets technology in truly groundbreaking ways.

Awards & Prizes

Next Wave of Cinema Awards

Innovator Award

Grand Jury Golden Wave Prize

Special Jury Prize in AI Cinema

Rules & Terms

By entering the MetaCannes Film3 Festival, you agree to follow its rules and guidelines.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
• Submissions are only accepted through FilmFreeway.
• We consider films in any language, from anywhere in the world. If your film is not in English, make sure it has English subtitles where necessary.

• We consider work in progress. Please include a title card describing what is unfinished at the beginning of the submission screener.

• We consider films regardless of their premiere status. Even if your film has already premiered at another festival, whether it screened at a physical venue or online, it’s still eligible for consideration.

• We consider films regardless of their completion date. You can submit any film no matter when it was made.

• Features previously or currently being released in the US by a third party distributor are not eligible for consideration unless by Festival Director invitation.

• Features previously self-distributed by the filmmakers online are not eligible for consideration in Feature categories unless by Festival Director invitation.

• There's no additional eligibility criteria for short film categories. All shorts are eligible!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• All screeners must be uploaded by the appropriate deadline.

• Deadlines close at 11:59 PM PST.

• Please make sure to include a film screening link (Vimeo preferred) or upload your film to FilmFreeway in order to be considered. We do not accept physical copies of films for consideration.
• We will contact entrants if there's anything wrong with the submission. If this occurs, you will need to fix the submission issue by the requested deadline, otherwise we can't guarantee that your film will be watched in time.

• We don't provide refunds for festival entries.

• Entrants can update their screener by uploading a new video file provided your original link url does not change. The link must stay the same after you have submitted your entry. If it is replaced programmers will lose access to your screener and it may not be watched in time for consideration.

• We strongly recommend that ALL submitted films regardless of category include English subtitles (whether the film is in English or another language) so that they may be accessible to all of our Programmers. Films in a language other than English MUST have English subtitles.

HOW WE PROGRAM

• Programmers determine a festival selection through discussion and voting.

• Each participating programmer has an equal vote and no festival competition selections are made outside of this process.

• Our programmers are not required to read submission cover letters and other supporting materials, but we encourage you to submit them in case they want to learn more about you and your work.

• We don't share programming feedback with entrants.

• The MetaCannes Film3 Festival programmers' decisions are final.

IF ACCEPTED
• Accepted filmmakers will be notified via email, phone or text. Filmmakers must confirm their participation by the given deadline, otherwise they might lose their spot in the line-up.

• Accepted filmmakers must be the authors of their submitted work and be ready to sign an agreement stating that they own all rights to their film and its components ahead of screening at MetaCannes Film3 Festival.

• If accepted, entrants are responsible for delivering their festival exhibition copy, trailer, screener link, press stills and press-kit on time.

• All accepted films must have Closed Captioning in English ready in time for their festival screening. 

• We don't provide screening fees.